Whenever a Great Frigatebird soars overhead, I'm in awe. The sheer size and shape of their wings is both majestic and a bit intimidating. Though it's a slender bird of just a few pounds, they can measure up to seven feet from wingtip to wingtip, and have the largest wing area to body weight ratio of any bird. The deeply forked tail is another easy identifier, as is the hooked bill and dark body (females have a white breast and greyish throat). Since they ride warm updrafts, you'll most likely see them soaring over the shoreline, showing off their consummate flying skills. I have seen them cruising along Bellows beach on the windward side. The 'Iwa may also help the crew of the Hokule'a find land. The PVS website says: "The 'iwa (man-of-war bird), like the noio (noddy tern) and the manu-o-ku (white tern), were helpful in locating islands, as they fly out to fish in the morning and return to their islands in the evening. However, the ‘iwa is not as reliable as the noio and manu-o-ku, as it is capable of soaring for longer than a day at sea." 'Iwa roost on the offshore islets of the Main Hawaiian Islands, and breed throughout the North West Hawaii Islands. Breeding begins with the male puffing up his bright red, inflatable gular (throat) sac, and attempting to attract the female by waggling his head back and forth. When the female shows interest, they'll construct a platform nest in low shrubs and trees, such as the naupaka and tree heliotrope, where just one egg is laid. While they are said to be messy housekeepers, they certainly are attentive and caring parents: the young can be tended to and fed for up to a year and a half after fledging! While frigatebirds have a bad rap for chasing other birds until they regurgitate their food (the Hawaiian name, 'iwa, means "thief"), the vast majority of their meals are legitimately earned. | They feed mostly on flying fish and squid, catching them either in flight or by dipping their bill in the surface water as they glide. Because their legs are short and their feet lack webbing, they don't land on the water, and with their large wings, they may not be able to lift off once they land. Off the wing, they perch in trees for the same reason. 'Iwa can live long lives: one bird banded on Tern island in French Frigate Shoals was found to be forty-four years old. Happy soaring! |
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There is no mistaking the "kee-ah" squawk of the rose-ringed parakeet, Psittacula krameri, or Mr. NoisyPants, as I like to call him. Known for their tendency to be garroulous, it is fitting that a group of parakeets is known as a "chat." A parakeet is not different from a parrot - it is the term given to any small to medium-sized parrot with a long tail. And get a look at that tail: the neon green body eases into a wash of aqua blue at the tail that is simply eye-catching. Add to that a brilliant red bill, black mustache, and a rose-colored collar, and you have one smart looking bird. The female is similar, but the collar is often paler or absent. Like other parrots, Psittacula krameri, is highly social. They tend to forage together, feeding on fruits, nuts, nectar, seeds, and veggies, and there is concern about them becoming agricultural pests. An additional concern is that they will out-compete frigate birds (Iwa), shearwaters, and petrels for nesting and roosting sites. Psittacula krameri will lay two to six eggs in a tree cavity or crevice, and the female will sit on the nest for just over three weeks before the babies hatch. They fledge after two months. An interesting characteristic of parrots is the arrangement of their digits: two going forward and two facing back. This is known as zygodactyly, as is seen in birds such as woodpeckers and some owls, as well as chameleons.
Whenever I see a shama, they are in the lower branches, or rummaging among the leaves strewn on the forest floor, searching for insects and worms. The shama is native to Southeast Asia, and was introduced on Kauai in the 1931. About a decade later it was brought to Oahu, and is now well established. Nests are built in tree cavities, where the shama mama lays three to five pale blue eggs splotched with red. Around two weeks later they hatch, and in another few weeks they fledge to fill our forests walks with song.
photo from pacific rim conservation
Hello gorgeous! So happy to see the apapane flitting among the lehua blossoms in all his royal red splendor. Himatione sanguinea have the largest population of any of the Hawaiian honeycreepers, though you won't see them at lower elevations. Their nectarivorous life-style means that you'll most likely spot them where the 'ohi'a lehua are abundant, though the occasional insect will do as well. Apapane are found on the main Hawaiian islands, with small populations on O'ahu and Lana'i. They are endemic, meaning they are found here and nowhere else. The apapane have the highest rates of avian malaria, and this suggests their preference for higher elevations out of mosquito range.
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